Those of you who have seen my posts on EvocationMagic.com have likely realized that I tend to prefer developing relatiosnhips with the spirits I work with. These range from being wights, elementals, human ghosts, Gods, Goddesses, Demons, Angels, etc. To me, it doesn't really matter where a spirit "comes from", so to speak - its all about developing some sort of rapport. So, to assist in that endeavor, I am planning on writing a three-part series on developing relationships with spirits. This is part one of three, so I hope you find this to be informative.

Depending on your personal style, proclivities, and worldview, you can go about this in different ways. For those of you that are unsure of methods by which this can be done, I will post a method of starting a relationship with a spirit.

But first, I'll go into details about the benefits and drawbacks of having relationships of this sort. When endeavoring to form a bond like this, you must first realize that spirits are just as unique as you and I are. Some might share some characteristics much like you and I might enjoy a specific sort of pizza, but that does not make them identical to one another. If you think, for a moment, that they're all the same, you may get a similar response from the spirit.

Assuming you follow my advice here, you'll find that each spirit will have certain proclivities, so you should try to keep that in mind. Certain spirits may love you, and others may hate your guts, so its worth being careful before trying to open a line of communication with them. When yo do open that line of communication, do so respectfully and cautiously, and you should remain unharmed. If you do manage to follow my advice and start communicating with different spirits, in time you'll realize that many of them have a great many things to teach. They may or may not be willing to teach those things to you, as that depends entirely upon your relationship with the entity at hand.

Should you be blessed with the affections of a spirit, they may decide that they will teach you certain tricks in exchange for you doing things for them. These things can be very easy to do, and they can be very, very inconvenient or downright unpleasant. Keep this in mind, as you want to know what the specific terms of a bargain are, as you do not want to be unsure of this before accepting. Otherwise, you may well lose your job, gain an unwanted responsibility, or have some other weirdness occur.

In my own practices, I now work 70-90 hours a week thanks to some of the promises I made in return for the abilities and knowledge that I possess. I also have a wife and a girlfriend, so things can get very complex very quickly.

Now, if after reading the above, you still want to proceed, I'd suggest using the following ritual to initiate contact.

Materials needed:

1 candle - color should correspond with the spirit in question

Corresponding magickal oils *Optional*

Offerings of water or food or both

Ritual:

Sit down in a comfortable area, be it inside or outside, and do it during a time that seems like it would be auspicious. If you are calling a wight, put yourself out in its environment if at all possible. Observe the same thought and care for the spiritual guest as you would for a guest made of flesh and bone, as that care is essential to forming a mutually beneficial relationship.

Meditate for a while, and when you feel as though you are entranced enough to be able to attempt communication with a spirit, make the following call:

"Spirit N., I approach you because I would like to open up lines of communication between you and I. Please teach me the wisdom you have to offer, and take care not to harm me in body or mind. I wish to befriend you and learn from you, so please accept my offerings and join me."

You may have to repeat the call a few times to get the spirit to show up, or He/She/It may not show up at all. If/when the spirit shows up, talk with it, listen to it, meditate, etc. Do what feels right.

After you've had your fill, you can give the spirit a generic license to depart. An example follows:

"Spirit N., I thank you for joining me this day. Stay if you will, depart if you must. Take care, stay safe, and feel free to visit me when you will. I welcome your lessons and your guidance."

Feel free to change the above wording as you see fit, as it will change depending on the nature of the spirits you're communicating with.

With all of that said, attempt this at your own risk. I take no responsibility for anything that comes of this information, good or bad. You are responsible for your actions, so be smart about it.